Fantasy for All Ages

No Antagonist

Since I last posted about antagonists and villains, I’ll continue on with the theme. What about stories that have no antagonist?

Yes, it’s possible. It’s even possible to do well. Look at Maggie Stiefvater’s SHIVER. Of course, in a way, there is an antagonist. It’s just not a person.

This comes up as I prepare to start working on SEVEN STARS again because I think it’s one of the problems (not the only one) I had with the earlier version. This story doesn’t have a personified antagonist. There will be characters who variously help or impede the main character for their own ends. There will be characters or groups she vilifies as evil and fights against. But there really isn’t a single antagonist.

Instead, her battle is much more against a part her own nature. Very similar, in a way to SHIVER, although SEVEN STARS is not a werewolf story.

I think there are additional challenges to writing a story without an identifiable antagonist. Keeping the tension up, for one. There’s nobody to point to and say, “Hurry, he’s going to catch you.” SHIVER still had that, to a degree, because the weather was a huge part of the problem–and you know things are only going to get colder as winter comes in. SEVEN STARS won’t have anything that clear to point to.

I’ve written one other book (THE IGNORED PROPHECY) without an antagonist on the main story line. The central story on that one was very internal. But I had a really unlikable antagonist for a strong sub plot. I’m not sure I’ll even have that for SEVEN STARS.

It’s going to be a challenge, I think. Well, it’s one of two stories (DREAMER’S ROSE is the other) that have made me work harder to get the story out and get it right.

The current challenge on DREAMER’S ROSE is going to be to cut about a quarter of it. The pacing stinks in places. That’s going to require more than one pass, I’m afraid.